GLAA delivers petitions in support of club relocation bill

[Note: Letters like the one below were delivered to D.C. Council members on Thursday, May 31,
2007, individualized for each councilmember, along with packets of information on Bill 17-109
including copies of petition signatures in support of the bill. The signatures were gathered
by members of GLAA and the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. Both orgranizations are on record
in support of the legislation.]

D.C. Councilmembers
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004

Dear Councilmembers:

Enclosed are copies of petitions from D.C. citizens and visitors urging your support for Bill 17-0109, “One-Time Relocation of Licensees Displaced by the Ballpark and Skyland Development Project Amendment Act of 2007.” Most of the signatures were gathered on Black Lesbian and Gay Pride Day on May 27, with the assistance of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. Also enclosed are pertinent reprints from local publications and talking points in support of the bill.

Mr. Graham’s bill, permitting relocation of ABC-licensed nude dancing establishments displaced by the city, will face its First Reading on June 5. A recent ABC Board ruling effectively nullified a 2001 Council compromise permitting such relocation, so action is now needed.

Because the longstanding gay adult entertainment zone was wiped off the map by the city to make way for the new stadium, we believe the city is honor bound to create a remedy for the displaced licensees. The bill provides a one-time relocation to suitably zoned areas. Some opponents of the bill, including the Washington Times, have claimed that these clubs are associated with crime—a claim contradicted by 35 years of experience with our clubs in Southeast.

Our inclusion of signatures from visitors to the District on the petitions is a reminder that this is a destination city whose visitors provide much-needed tax revenue. Those who disapprove of adult-oriented establishments are free to avoid them; but a situation in which straight-oriented clubs continue to thrive while all gay-oriented ones are eliminated is fundamentally inequitable.

Please vote for the bill, and oppose any amendments that would effectively erase its intended remedy. Thank you for your attention to this.